Peyton Manning throws 500th career TD pass

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) celebrates his touchdown pass to teammate Demaryius Thomas (88) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday in Denver. The Associated Press

DENVER – Peyton Manning has thrown his 500th career touchdown pass, joining Brett Favre as the only members of the exclusive club.

Manning threw a 7-yard dart to tight end Julius Thomas to give Denver a 7-3 lead over Arizona in the first quarter Sunday. Thomas has caught six of Manning’s nine TD throws this season.

Manning reached the mark in his 244th career regular season game, 49 fewer games than it took Favre.

It was Manning’s 101st TD pass since coming to Denver in 2012 following his tearful goodbye in Indianapolis, where he played his first 13 NFL seasons before sitting out all of 2011 following neck fusion surgery.

Manning, who added two TD passes to Demaryius Thomas as the Broncos took a 21-13 halftime lead, figures to surpass Favre’s record of 508 TD throws later this month.

On the final play of the first half, Broncos slot receiver Wes Welker broke Rod Smith’s mark for most catches by an undrafted player. His 850th career grab, his third of the game, covered 5 yards.

As he approached the milestone, Manning acknowledged that, yes, he looks at his TD throws and interceptions ever year. If the former is high and the latter low, “that means you’re getting your team in the end zone and … you’re protecting the ball,” which in turn, “usually leads to winning.”

His touchstone touchdown came against two of his mentors: Arizona coach Bruce Arians and Cardinals assistant head coach Tom Moore. Arians was Manning’s first position coach in 1998 and Moore was his offensive coordinator during his entire time in Indy.

Manning’s first TD toss in a Broncos uniform was the 400th of his career and it came on a 71-yard screen pass to Demaryius Thomas.

Here at MaineToday Media we value our readers and are committed to growing our community by encouraging you to add to the discussion.

To ensure conscientious dialogue we have implemented a strict no-bullying policy. To participate, you must follow our Terms of Use. Click here to flag and report a comment that violates our terms of use.